Forum Moderators: not2easy
Then if someone steals it, they may be held liable for a statutory award to you (up to $250,000 in some rare circumstances) and possibly all or part of your attorney's bill. It is a big stick.
With unregistered work, you can sue, but only for "damages", what you lost financially by the theft. And, you won't get your lawyer's fees considered.
With a copyright case costing, perhaps from $15,000 to $30,000 for a simple case....and there are few simple cases...it doesn't become cost effective to go to court.
Unfair? Sure, but the copyright law is always formed or reformed with influence from publishers, "free society" groups, and others interested in making it tough to protect creative work. So the creative types wind up with a mish mash of protection and, I guess that's why we have so many lawyers.
Willjan
But to take full advantage of the law, which would allow you to protect your work in the event of theft, you MUST register it with the Library of Congress.
That applies to Americans only though.
Not true.
FAQ: "Can foreigners register their works in the United States?
Any work that is protected by U.S. copyright law can be registered. This includes many works of foreign origin. All works that are unpublished, regardless of the nationality of the author, are protected in the United States. Works that are first published in the United States or in a country with which we have a copyright treaty or that are created by a citizen or domiciliary of a country with which we have a copyright treaty are also protected and may therefore be registered with the U.S. Copyright Office. See Circular 38a, International Copyright Relations of the United States, for the status of specific countries". (end quote)
From the US Copyright Office.
Willjan
